Sheet manufacturing apparatus, paper supplying device, and paper shredding device

ABSTRACT

A sheet shredding device includes a stacking unit configured to stack paper; a cutting unit configured to cut paper supplied from the stacking unit; a transferring unit configured to transfer paper from the stacking unit to the cutting unit; and removing units configured to remove a binder attached to the paper. The removing units are provided so as to overlap in a transfer direction of the paper along a transfer path of the paper from the stacking unit to the cutting unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/988,277 filed on Jan. 5, 2016, entitled “SHEET MANUFACTURINGAPPARATUS, PAPER SUPPLYING DEVICE, AND PAPER SHREDDING DEVICE,” whichissued as U.S. Pat. No. ______ on ______, which claims priority toJapanese Patent Application No. 2015-002938, filed Jan. 9, 2015 and2015-218094, filed Nov. 6, 2015, all of which applications are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a sheet manufacturing apparatus, apaper supplying device, and a paper shredding device.

2. Related Art

In the related art, a paper recycling apparatus, in which waste paper isfed from an automatic feeding machine to a crushing machine, waste paperis cut into pieces of paper, the cut pieces of paper are defibrated, andpaper is formed by a defibrated material that is defibrated, has beenknown (for example, see JP-A-2012-144819).

In addition, a paper shredding machine, which includes a cutter, afeeding device slot through which paper passes toward the cutter, and anedge provided to incline with respect to the feeding device slot, and inwhich a paper fastening device such as a staple is separated from one orseveral sheets of paper and paper is shredded, has been known (forexample, see JP-T-2013-528481).

However, In the apparatus disclosed in JP-A-2012-144819, for example, ifwaste paper with a binder such as metal clip and a needle of a staple isfed into the crushing machine, there is a problem that crushing bladesof the crushing machine are damaged.

In addition, in the paper shredding machine disclosed inJP-T-2013-528481, since only one edge is provided in a direction inwhich paper of the feeding device slot passes, for example, there is aproblem that a binder cannot be removed depending on a size, a shape ofthe binder attached to paper, and the like, and an attached position ofthe binder to paper.

SUMMARY

The invention can be realized in the following aspects or applicationexamples.

Application Example 1

According to this application example, there is provided a sheetmanufacturing apparatus including: a stacking unit configured to stack araw material containing fibers; a crushing unit configured to crush theraw material supplied from the stacking unit; a forming unit configuredto form a sheet by using crushed pieces of the raw material that iscrushed by the crushing unit; a transferring unit configured to transferthe raw material from the stacking unit to the crushing unit; andremoving units configured to remove a binder bundling the raw material.The removing units are provided so as to overlap in a transfer directionof the raw material along a transfer path of the raw material from thestacking unit to the crushing unit.

In this case, These removing units are provided so as to overlap in thetransfer direction of the raw material. Thus, an opportunity to removethe binder attached to the raw material is increased and it is possibleto improve a binder removal rate from the raw material. Therefore, it ispossible to reduce damage of the crushing unit and the like due to thebinder. Moreover, the binder is a clip (for example, a clip mainlycomposed of resin and a clip mainly composed of cellulose) composed of aresin material that is thicker than paper, a metal clip, a needle of astaple, and the like, which are attached to collect waste papers of theraw material. In addition, it is also possible to apply to the rawmaterial of the waste paper and the like that are bound by a so-calledneedle-free stapler. In this case, it is preferable that blades areformed in the removing units.

Application Example 2

According to this application example, there is provided a papersupplying device including: a stacking unit configured to stack paper; atransferring unit configured to transfer paper stacked in the stackingunit from the lowermost paper; and removing units configured to remove abinder attached to paper. The removing units are provided so as tooverlap in a transfer direction of paper along a transfer path of paperby the transferring unit.

In this case, These removing units are provided so as to overlap in thetransfer direction of paper. Thus, an opportunity to remove the binderattached to paper is increased and it is possible to remove the bindersfrom paper more than the related art. Therefore, it is possible tosupply paper from which the binders are removed to another unit orapparatus (for example, paper processing apparatus such as a shredderprocessing the paper, a recycling apparatus such as a sheetmanufacturing apparatus using the paper as the raw material, and a paperconsumption apparatus such as a printer using the paper as consumablegoods).

Application Example 3

According to this application example, there is provided a papershredding device including: a stacking unit configured to stack paper; acutting unit configured to cut paper supplied from the stacking unit; atransferring unit configured to transfer paper from the stacking unit tothe cutting unit; and removing units configured to remove a binderattached to paper. The removing units are provided so as to overlap in atransfer direction of paper along a transfer path of paper from thestacking unit to the cutting unit.

In this case, These removing units are provided so as to overlap in thetransfer direction of paper. Thus, an opportunity to remove the binderattached to paper is increased and it is possible to remove the bindersfrom paper more than the related art. In addition, it is possible tosuppress damage of the cutting unit.

Application Example 4

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying device, andthe paper shredding device according to the application example, theremoving units may be provided in a direction intersecting the transferdirection and alternately arranged.

In this case, the removing units are arranged without clearance to eachother with respect to the raw material. Thus, it is also possible toremove the binders even in a center portion of the raw material.

Application Example 5

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying deviceaccording to the application example, and the paper shredding device,the at least one removing unit may have a plurality of protrusions andat least one of the protrusions may be formed to abut the binder.

In this case, the protrusion enters between the binder and the rawmaterial and it is possible to easily remove the binder. It ispreferable that two or more protrusions are formed so as to abut thebinder and in this case, multiple protrusions enter between the binderand the raw material, and easily remove the binder.

Application Example 6

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying deviceaccording to the application example, and the paper shredding device,the at least one removing unit may have protrusions and the protrusionsmay be provided at a pitch of equal to or less than half an inner widthof the binder.

In this case, the protrusion easily enters between the raw material andthe binder, and it is possible to easily remove the binder.

Application Example 7

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying deviceaccording to the application example, and the paper shredding device, afirst removing unit and a second removing unit, which are arranged so asto overlap in the transfer direction, respectively may have protrusions,and the protrusions of the first removing unit and the protrusions ofthe second removing unit may be arranged so as to be alternatelypositioned.

In this case, the opportunity to remove the binder is further increasedand it is possible to improve the binder removal rate from the rawmaterial.

Application Example 8

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying device, andthe paper shredding device according to the application example, theremoving units may be provided to incline in the transfer direction.

In this case, it is possible to remove the binder regardless of afastening method (direction of the binder) of the binder with respect tothe raw material.

Application Example 9

The sheet manufacturing apparatus (or the paper shredding device)according to the application example may further include a receivingunit configured to receive crushed pieces (pieces of paper that are cutby the cutting unit) crushed by the crushing unit; and a storage unitconfigured to store the binder removed by the removing units.

In this case, it is possible to separate the crushed pieces and thebinder.

Application Example 10

In the sheet manufacturing apparatus, the paper supplying deviceaccording to the application example, and the paper shredding device,the removing units may be detachably fixed.

In this case, it is possible to replace the removing unit. For example,it is possible to perform maintenance such as replacement when theremoving unit is damaged. In addition, the removing units havingdifferent shapes, materials, and the like are variously prepared, and itis possible to use the removing units by appropriate replacement.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papershredding device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the papershredding device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of protrusionsaccording to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a part of a configuration of aremoving unit according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papershredding device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a sheetmanufacturing apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papersupplying device according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papershredding device (feeding unit) according to Modification Example 1.

FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papershredding device (feeding unit) according to Modification Example 2.

FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a papershredding device (feeding unit) according to Modification Example 3.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating a part of a configuration of aremoving unit according to Modification Example 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, first to fourth embodiments of the invention will bedescribed with reference to the drawings. Moreover, in each of thefollowing views, scales of each member and the like are illustrateddifferent from actual scales to make each member and the like be arecognizable size.

First Embodiment

First, a configuration of a paper shredding device will be described.The paper shredding device includes a stacking unit that stacks paper, acutting unit that cuts paper supplied from the stacking unit, atransferring unit that transfers paper from the stacking unit to thecutting unit, and removing units that remove a binder attached to paper.A plurality of the removing units are provided so as to overlap in atransfer direction of paper along a transfer path of paper from thestacking unit to the cutting unit. Hereinafter, a specific configurationwill be described.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view (side sectional view) illustrating theconfiguration of the paper shredding device, FIG. 2 is a schematic view(plan view) illustrating the configuration of the paper shreddingdevice, FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustrating a configuration ofprotrusions, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating a part of aconfiguration of a removing unit.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, a paper shredding device 10 includes astacking unit 11, a supplying unit 12, a cutting unit 20, and the like.The paper shredding device 10 has a housing 19. In addition, a partitionunit 190 for partitioning the housing 19 into an upper side and a lowerside is provided within the housing 19. Then, a pressing unit 350 to beopened and closed is arranged on the upper side of the housing 19 and anopening port 19 a is provided on the lower side of the housing 19.

The stacking unit 11 stacks paper Pu (may be waste paper Pu as a rawmaterial containing fibers, hereinafter, described as the waste paperPu) and the like. In the embodiment, a space provided between thepartition unit 190 and the pressing unit 350 within the housing 19corresponds to the stacking unit 11. The space, in which several toseveral hundred pieces of the waste paper Pu are stacked, is provided inthe stacking unit 11. Then, the stacked waste paper Pu of the lowermostportion is mounted so as to follow a mounting surface 190 a of thepartition unit 190.

The pressing unit 350 presses the waste paper Pu mounted on the stackingunit 11 in the direction of gravity. The pressing unit 350 of theembodiment includes a plurality of pressing rollers 351 that come intocontact with the waste paper Pu of the uppermost portion, which ismounted, a holding unit 352 that is connected to the pressing rollers351 and holds the pressing rollers 351, spring units 353 as a biasingunit that biases the holding unit 352 in the direction of gravity, acover unit 354 to which the spring units 353 are connected, and thelike. The pressing unit 350 is configured to be opened and closed withrespect to the housing 19. Then, the waste paper Pu is able to be loadedon the stacking unit 11 in a state where the pressing unit 350 is openedand the cover unit 354 is fixed to an upper portion of the housing 19 ina state where the pressing unit 350 is closed. Then, in a state wherethe waste paper Pu is mounted on the stacking unit 11, if the pressingunit 350 is in a closed state, the pressing rollers 351 press the wastepaper Pu by a biasing force of the spring units 353.

The supplying unit 12 supplies the waste paper Pu of the raw material tothe cutting unit 20. Then, the supplying unit 12 includes a pair ofrollers 18 (18 a and 18 b) as a transferring unit transferring the wastepaper Pu from the stacking unit 11 to the cutting unit 20. The pair ofrollers 18 according to the embodiment are positioned in a centerportion of the partition unit 190 and are arranged in a width directionof the loaded waste paper Pu. Here, the width direction of the loadedwaste paper Pu is, for example, a lateral width (short side) directionin the waste paper Pu of an A4 size (see FIG. 2). Moreover, upper endportions of the pair of rollers 18 are arranged so as to come intocontact with the loaded waste paper Pu of the lowermost portion. Then,in a state where the waste paper Pu is pressed in the direction ofgravity by the pressing unit 350 with respect to the waste paper Puloaded on the stacking unit 11, the loaded waste paper Pu of thelowermost portion follows the pair of rollers 18, the waste paper Pu isfolded and passes through the pair of rollers 18, and then istransferred to the cutting unit 20 by driving the pair of rollers 18 tobe rotated. Moreover, the number of sheets of the waste paper Pu passingthrough the pair of rollers 18 is not limited to one sheet and aplurality of the waste paper Pu may be transferred at once.

The cutting unit 20 includes crushing blades (cutting blades) 21 andcuts (crushes) the waste paper Pu supplied by the supplying unit 12 intothe pieces of paper of, for example, several centimeters square. Thus,it is possible to easily cut the supplied waste paper Pu into the piecesof paper. The pieces of paper are stored in a storage unit (notillustrated) provided on the inside of the housing or the outside of thehousing. Otherwise, the pieces of paper are temporarily stored in areceiving unit 201 a of a hopper and the like, and are supplied from anoutlet (pipe 201) to another unit or device (see a third embodimentdescribed below).

Moreover, the supplying unit 12 includes removing units 300 for removingthe binder that bundles the waste paper Pu. The removing units 300 arearranged in the mounting surface 190 a. Here, the binder is, forexample, a clip (for example, a clip mainly composed of resin and a clipmainly composed of cellulose) composed of a resin material, of which athickness is thicker than paper, which is attached to collect the wastepaper, a metal clip, a needle of a metal staple, and the like. Moreover,if the waste paper Pu is supplied from the stacking unit 11 to thecutting unit 20 in a state of being bound by the binder, there is aconcern that the crushing blades 21 of the cutting unit 20 are damaged.Thus, before the waste paper Pu is supplied to the cutting unit 20, thebinder attached to the waste paper Pu is removed by the removing units300.

A plurality of the removing units 300 are provided so as to overlap fromthe stacking unit 11 to the cutting unit 20 in the transfer direction ofthe waste paper Pu along a transfer path of the waste paper Pu.Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the removing unit 300 has asubstantially plate shape in a plan view and the plurality of theremoving units 300 are arranged on the mounting surface 190 a. In theembodiment, eight removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) are arranged.Furthermore, in the eight removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h), theremoving unit 300 a and the removing unit 300 b are arranged in a pair.In addition, the removing unit 300 c and the removing unit 300 d, theremoving unit 300 e and the removing unit 300 f, and the removing unit300 g and the removing unit 300 h are arranged respectively in pairs.Furthermore, specifically, the removing unit 300 a is arranged on anupstream side in a first transfer direction W1 and the removing unit 300b is arranged on a downstream side of the removing unit 300 a in thefirst transfer direction W1 so as to overlap in the first transferdirection W1 of the waste paper Pu along a first transfer path R1 of thewaste paper Pu toward the pair of rollers 18. In addition, the removingunit 300 c and the removing unit 300 d are arranged in positions facingthe removing unit 300 a and the removing unit 300 b in the firsttransfer direction W1. In addition, the removing unit 300 e is arrangedon an upstream side in a second transfer direction W2 and the removingunit 300 f is arranged on a downstream side of the removing unit 300 ein the second transfer direction W2 so as to overlap in the secondtransfer direction W2 that is a direction opposite to the first transferdirection W1 of the waste paper Pu along a second transfer path R2 ofthe waste paper Pu toward the pair of rollers 18. In addition, theremoving unit 300 g and the removing unit 300 h are arranged inpositions facing the removing unit 300 e and the removing unit 300 f inthe second transfer direction W2.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h)are provided to incline in the first and second transfer directions W1and W2. Specifically, an end portion of each of the removing units 300(300 a to 300 h) corresponding to a center portion of the partition unit190 in a direction intersecting the first and second transfer directionsW1 and W2 is inclined to be closer to the pair of rollers 18 than theother end portion thereof.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the removing unit 300 has aplurality of protrusions 301 and at least one of the protrusions 301 isformed so as to abut the binder. Specifically, each protrusion 301 isformed on the upstream side in the first and second transfer directionsW1 and W2. Thus, the protrusion 301 is likely to come into contact withthe binder attached to the waste paper Pu and it is possible to increasea binder removal rate. In this case, it is preferable that theprotrusions 301 are provided at a pitch P1 equal to or less than half aninner width of the binder. Thus, two or more protrusions 301 can comeinto contact with the binder and it is possible to increase the binderremoval rate. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, theremoving unit 300 a as a first removing unit and the removing unit 300 bas a second removing unit, which are arranged so as to overlap in thefirst transfer direction W1, are respectively the plurality of theprotrusions 301, and are arranged such that the protrusions 301 of theremoving unit 300 a and the protrusions 301 of the removing unit 300 bare alternately positioned in the first transfer direction W1. Thus, anopportunity that the binder comes into contact with the protrusions 301of each of the removing units 300 a and 300 b is increased and it ispossible to increase the binder removal rate.

In addition, as illustrated in FIG. 4, a storage unit 400 that storesthe binders removed by the removing units 300 is provided. The storageunit 400 is a concave unit formed in the direction of gravity from themounting surface 190 a of the partition unit 190. Then, the storage unit400 is provided corresponding to each of the removing units 300 (300 ato 300 h) on the upstream side in the first and second transferdirections W1 and W2. Thus, the binders removed by the removing units300 fall in the direction of gravity and are stored in the storage unit400. Thus, the binder is not transferred to the cutting unit 20 and itis possible to protect the crushing blades 21 of the cutting unit 20 andthe like.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible toobtain the following effects.

The plurality of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) including theprotrusions 301 are provided and the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h)are arranged so as to overlap in the first and second transferdirections W1 and W2 of the waste paper Pu. Thus, the opportunity toremove the binder attached to the waste paper Pu is increased. Thus, itis possible to improve the binder removal rate from the waste paper Pu.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment will be described. Moreover, since a basicconfiguration of the paper shredding device according to the embodimentis the same as the paper shredding device 10 according to the firstembodiment, description thereof will be omitted, and a configurationdifferent from the configuration of the first embodiment, that is, anarrangement configuration of removing units will be described.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the papershredding device according to the embodiment and, more specifically, isa plan view illustrating an arrangement (array) of the removing units.Similar to the first embodiment, a paper shredding device 10 a of theembodiment includes a stacking unit, a supplying unit, a cutting unit,and the like. Moreover, since these configurations are the same as theconfigurations of the first embodiment, the description will be omitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the paper shredding device 10 a, aplurality of removing units 300 are arranged on a mounting surface 190a. In the embodiment, eight removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) arearranged. Furthermore, in the eight removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h),the removing unit 300 a and the removing unit 300 b are arranged in apair. In addition, the removing unit 300 c and the removing unit 300 d,the removing unit 300 e and the removing unit 300 f, and the removingunit 300 g and the removing unit 300 h are arranged respectively inpairs. The removing units 300 a and 300 b, and the removing units 300 eand 300 f are arranged in one region (upper half region in FIG. 5) thatbisects the mounting surface 190 a in transfer directions W1 and W2, andthe removing units 300 c and 300 d, and the removing units 300 g and 300h are arranged in the other region (lower half region in FIG. 5) thatbisects the mounting surface 190 a in the transfer directions W1 and W2.In addition, the removing units 300 a and 300 b, and the removing units300 c and 300 d are arranged in one region (right side region from aroller 18 a in FIG. 5) that bisects the mounting surface 190 a in adirection orthogonal to the transfer directions W1 and W2, and theremoving units 300 e and 300 f, and the removing units 300 g and 300 hare arranged in the other region (left side region from a roller 18 b inFIG. 5) that bisects the mounting surface 190 a in the directionorthogonal to the transfer directions W1 and W2. Furthermore,specifically, the removing unit 300 a is arranged on an upper side inthe first transfer direction W1 and the removing unit 300 b is arrangedon a downstream side of the removing unit 300 a in the first transferdirection W1 so as to overlap in the first transfer direction W1 of thewaste paper Pu along a first transfer path R1 of the waste paper Putoward the pair of rollers 18. Similarly, the removing unit 300 c andthe removing unit 300 d are arranged so as to overlap in the firsttransfer direction W1 of the waste paper Pu. In addition, the removingunit 300 e is arranged on the upper side in the second transferdirection W2 and the removing unit 300 f is arranged on the downstreamside of the removing unit 300 e in the second transfer direction W2 soas to overlap in the second transfer direction W2 opposite to the firsttransfer direction W1 of the waste paper Pu along a second transfer pathR2 of the waste paper Pu toward the pair of rollers 18. Similarly, theremoving unit 300 g and the removing unit 300 h are arranged so as tooverlap in the second transfer direction W2 of the waste paper Pu.

Then, the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) are provided so as tooverlap in the first and second transfer directions W1 and W2.Specifically, an end portion of each of the removing units 300 (300 a to300 h) corresponding to a center portion of the partition unit 190 in adirection intersecting the first and second transfer directions W1 andW2 is inclined to be closer to the pair of rollers 18 than the other endportion thereof.

Furthermore, the plurality of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h)are provided in a direction intersecting the first and second transferdirections W1 and W2, and are alternately arranged. Specifically, theremoving unit 300 a, the removing unit 300 c, the removing unit 300 b,and the removing unit 300 d are alternately arranged in this order fromthe upstream side to the downstream side in the first transfer directionW1. Then, end portions of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 d)corresponding to the center portion of the partition unit 190 in thedirection intersecting the first transfer direction W1 are respectivelyarranged so as to overlap in the first transfer direction W1 of thewaste paper Pu.

Similarly, the removing unit 300 g, the removing unit 300 e, theremoving unit 300 h, and the removing unit 300 f are alternatelyarranged in this order from the upstream side to the downstream side inthe second transfer direction W2. Then, end portions of the removingunits 300 (300 e to 300 h) corresponding to the center portion of thepartition unit 190 in the direction intersecting the second transferdirection W2 are respectively arranged so as to overlap in the secondtransfer direction W2 of the waste paper Pu.

Moreover, since the configuration of the protrusions 301 forming theremoving unit 300 are the same as the configuration thereof according tothe first embodiment, the description will be omitted. In addition,similar to the first embodiment, a storage unit 400 storing the binderremoved by the removing unit 300 is provided.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible toobtain the following effects.

The plurality of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) are provided inthe direction intersecting the first and second transfer directions W1and W2, and are alternately arranged. Thus, it is possible to remove thebinder even if the binder is attached to the center portion of the wastepaper Pu.

Third Embodiment

Next, a configuration of a sheet manufacturing apparatus will bedescribed. The sheet manufacturing apparatus is, for example, based on atechnique of forming a new sheet Pr by using a raw material (defibrationobject) Pu such as pure pulp sheets, waste paper, and the like. Thesheet manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment includes astacking unit that stacks the raw material containing fibers, a crushingunit (cutting unit) that crushes the raw material supplied from thestacking unit, a forming unit that forms the sheet by using crushedpieces of the raw material that is crushed by the crushing unit, atransferring unit that transfers the raw material from the stacking unitto the crushing unit, and removing units that remove a binder bundlingthe raw material. A plurality of the removing units are provided so asto overlap in a transfer direction of the raw material along a transferpath of the raw material from the stacking unit to the crushing unit.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the sheet manufacturing apparatus willbe described in detail.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the configuration of the sheetmanufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment. As illustrated inFIG. 6, a sheet manufacturing apparatus 1 of the embodiment includes afeeding unit 10, a defibrating unit 30 and a classifying unit 40 thatform a forming unit, a screening unit 50, an additive agent feeding unit60, a deposition unit 70, a heating and pressurizing unit 120, and thelike. In addition, a control unit (not illustrated) that controls thesemembers is provided.

Moreover, the feeding unit 10 of the embodiment applies the papershredding device 10 according to the first embodiment. Thus, since theconfiguration of the feeding unit 10 is the same as the configuration ofthe paper shredding device 10, description of detailed configuration ofthe feeding unit 10 will be omitted.

The feeding unit 10 includes the supplying unit 12, the crushing unit 20(cutting unit 20), and the like (see FIG. 1), supplies waste paper asthe raw material, and crushes (cuts) the supplied waste paper into thepieces of paper of several centimeters square. Then, crushed pieces arereceived by a receiving unit 201 a and are supplied to a defibratingunit 30 via a pipe 201 connected to the receiving unit 201 a.

The defibrating unit 30 defibrates a material containing fibers in gas(hereinafter, referred to as in the air) in the air (in the atmosphere).The defibrating unit 30 includes rotary blades (not illustrated) thatare rotated and performs defibration to disentangle the crushed piecessupplied from the crushing unit 20 to a fibrous shape. In the presentapplication, a material that is defibrated by the defibrating unit 30 isreferred to as a defibration object and a material that passes throughthe defibrating unit 30 is referred to as a defibrated material.Moreover, the defibrating unit 30 of the embodiment performs defibrationin a dry type in the air. A coating material for paper such as ink,toner, and the blur-preventing agent to be printed becomes particles(hereinafter, referred to as ink particles) of several tens μm or lessand is separated from the fibers by the defibrating process of thedefibrating unit 30. Thus, the defibrated material exiting from thedefibrating unit 30 is the fibers and the ink particles obtained bydefibration of the pieces of paper. Then, the defibrating unit 30 is amechanism that generates airflow by the rotation of the rotary bladesand the fibers that is defibrated via a pipe 202 is transferred to theclassifying unit 40 with the airflow. Moreover, an airflow generatingdevice that generates the airflow for transferring the fibers, which aredefibrated in the defibrating unit 30, to the classifying unit 40 viathe pipe 202 may be separately provided as necessary.

The classifying unit 40 classifies an introduction material that isintroduced by the airflow. In the embodiment, the defibrated material asthe introduction material is classified into the ink particles and thefibers. The classifying unit 40 applies, for example, a cyclone and thencan classify the transferred defibrated material into the ink particlesand the fibers with the airflow. Moreover, another airflow typeclassifier may be used instead of the cyclone. In this case, as theairflow type classifier other than the cyclone, for example, elbow jet,eddy classifier, and the like are used. The airflow type classifiergenerates a whirling airflow and separates and classifies the defibratedmaterial by a difference in a centrifugal force received by the size anddensity of the defibrated material. Thus, it is possible to adjust aclassification point by adjusting a speed of the airflow and thecentrifugal force. Thus, the defibrated material is separated into smallink particles of relatively low density and the fiber of high densityhaving particles greater than the ink particles in size.

The classifying unit 40 of the embodiment is a tangential input typecyclone and is configured of an inlet 40 a into which the introductionmaterial is introduced from the defibrating unit 30, a cylindrical unit41 to which the inlet 40 a is connected in a tangential direction, acone unit 42 that follows a lower portion of the cylindrical unit 41, alower outlet 40 b that is provided in a lower portion of the cone unit42, and an upper discharge port 40 c that provided in an upper center ofthe cylindrical unit 41 and discharges powder. A diameter of the coneunit 42 is decreased vertically downward.

In a classifying process, the airflow having the defibrated materialintroduced from the inlet 40 a of the classifying unit 40 is changed toa circular motion in the cylindrical unit 41 and the cone unit 42, andis classified by applying the centrifugal force. Then, the fibers havinghigh density, which are greater than the ink particles in size, aremoved to the lower outlet 40 b and the ink particles having low densityare derived to the upper discharge port 40 c with air as powder. Then,the ink particles exit from the upper discharge port 40 c of theclassifying unit 40. Then, the exited ink particles are recovered to arecovery unit 80 via a pipe 206 connected to the upper discharge port 40c of the classifying unit 40. On the other hand, the classifieddefibration object containing the fibers is transferred from the loweroutlet 40 b of the classifying unit 40 to the screening unit 50 via apipe 203 in the air. The defibrated material may be transferred from theclassifying unit 40 to the screening unit 50 by the airflow duringclassifying or may be transferred from the classifying unit 40 on theupper side to the screening unit 50 on the lower side by gravity.Moreover, a suction unit and the like may be arranged the upperdischarge port 40 c of the classifying unit 40 or a pipe 206 toefficiently suck a short-fiber mixture from the upper discharge port 40c. The classification is not performed exactly by a certain size anddensity as a boundary. In addition, the classification may not beperformed exactly into the fibers and the ink particles. Relativelyshort fiber in the fibers exits from the upper discharge port 40 ctogether with the ink particles. Relatively large fiber in the fibersexits from the lower outlet 40 b to which the fibers.

The screening unit 50 screens the classified material (defibratedmaterial) containing the fibers that are classified by the classifyingunit 40 by containing the classified material to pass through a sieveunit 51 having a plurality of openings. Further specifically, theclassified material containing the fibers classified by the classifyingunit 40 is screened into a passed material that passes through theopenings and a residue that does not pass through the openings. Thescreening unit 50 of the embodiment includes a mechanism that dispersesthe classified material by a rotary motion in the air. Then, the passedmaterial passing through the openings by screening of the screening unit50 is transferred from a passed material transferring unit 52 to thedeposition unit 70 via a pipe 204. On the other hand, the residue thatdoes not pass through the openings by screening of the screening unit 50is returned again to the defibrating unit 30 via a pipe 205 as thedefibration object. Thus, the residue is reused (recycled) without beingdiscarded.

The passed material passing through the openings by screening of thescreening unit 50 is transferred to the deposition unit 70 via the pipe204 in the air. The passed material may be transferred from thescreening unit 50 to the deposition unit 70 by a blower (notillustrated) generating the airflow or may also be transferred from thescreening unit 50 on the upper side to the deposition unit 70 on thelower side by gravity. The additive agent feeding unit 60 is providedbetween the screening unit 50 and the deposition unit 70 in the pipe 204to add the additive material such as binding resin (for example,thermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin) with respect to the passedmaterial that is transferred. Moreover, as the additive material, forexample, flame retardant, whiteness enhancer, sheet force strengtheningagent, sizing agent, absorption modifier, fragrance, deodorant, and thelike may be fed in addition to binding resin. These additive materialsare stored in an additive material reservoir 61 and is fed from afeeding port 62 by a feeding mechanism (not illustrated).

The deposition unit 70 can deposit the material containing the fibersand deposits at least a part of the defibrated material that isdefibrated by the defibrating unit 30 in the air. Specifically, thedeposition unit 70 forms a web W by using and depositing the materialcontaining the fibers and binding resin fed from the pipe 204, andincludes a mechanism of uniformly dispersing the fibers in the air. Inaddition, the deposition unit 70 has a moving unit on which thedefibrated material is deposited as a deposited material (web W) duringmoving. Moreover, the moving unit of the embodiment is configured oftension rollers 72 and an endless mesh belt 73 which is stretched by thetension rollers 72 and in which meshes are formed. Then, the mesh belt73 is rotated (moved) in one direction by rotating at least one of thetension rollers 72. Moreover, the web W according to the embodimentrefers to a configuration form of an object containing the fibers andbinding resin. Thus, the web W is regarded as a web even if the formsuch as dimensions is changed during heating, during pressing, duringcutting, during transferring, and the like of the web.

First, as the mechanism of uniformly dispersing the fibers in the air, aforming drum 71 into which the fibers and binding resin are fed isarranged in the deposition unit 70. Then, it is possible to uniformlymix binding resin (additive material) in the passed material (fiber) bydriving the forming drum 71 to be rotated. A screen having a pluralityof small holes is provided in the forming drum 71. Then, binding resin(additive material) is uniformly mixed in the passed material (fiber)and it is possible to uniformly disperse the fibers or the mixture ofthe fibers and binding resin passing through the small holes by drivingthe forming drum 71 to be rotated.

The mesh belt 73 is arranged below the forming drum 71. In addition, asuction device 75 is provided vertically below the forming drum 71 as asuction unit that generates the airflow vertically downward via the meshbelt 73. It is possible to suck the fibers dispersed in the air on themesh belt 73 by the suction device 75.

Then, the fibers and the like passing through the screen having thesmall holes of the forming drum 71 are deposited on the mesh belt 73 bya suction force by the suction device 75. In this case, it is possibleto form the web W that is deposited in an elongated shape containing thefibers and binding resin by moving the mesh belt 73 in one direction.the web W that is continuous in a strip shape is formed by dispersingthe web W from the forming drum 71 and continuously moving the mesh belt73. Moreover, the mesh belt 73 may be metal, resin, or nonwoven fiber,and may be any one if the fibers can be deposited and the airflow canpass through. Moreover, if a hole diameter of the mesh of the mesh belt73 is too large, the fibers enters between meshes and the web W hasunevenness when forming the web W (sheet), and if the hole diameter ofthe mesh is too small, it is difficult to stable airflow by the suctiondevice 75. Thus, it is preferable that the hole diameter of the mesh isappropriately adjusted. The suction device 75 can be configured to forma closed box in which a window having desired sizes is opened blow themesh belt 73 and which causes an inside of the box to be a negativepressure more than an external air by sucking air from an outside of thewindow.

The web W formed on the mesh belt 73 is transferred in the transferdirection (white arrows in the view) by moving the mesh belt 73 to berotated. An intermediate transferring unit 90 as a peeling unit isarranged above the mesh belt 73. The web W is peeled from the mesh belt73 by the intermediate transferring unit 90 and is transferred on apressurizing unit 110 side. That is, the peeling unit (intermediatetransferring unit 90) that peels the defibrated material (web W) fromthe moving unit (mesh belt 73) is provided and it is possible totransfer the peeled deposited material (web W) to the pressurizing unit110. The intermediate transferring unit 90 is configured to transfer theweb W while sucking the web W vertically upward (direction in which theweb W is separated from the mesh belt 73). The intermediate transferringunit 90 is arranged to separate from the mesh belt 73 vertically upward(direction perpendicular to a surface of the web W) and a part thereofis arranged to be shifted to the mesh belt 73 on a downstream side inthe transfer direction of the web W. Then, a transfer section of theintermediate transferring unit 90 is a section from a tension roller 72a on a downstream side of the mesh belt 73 to the pressurizing unit 110.

The intermediate transferring unit 90 has a transfer belt 91, aplurality of tension rollers 92, and a suction chamber 93. Transfer belt91 is an endless mesh belt which is tensioned by the tension rollers 92and in which meshes are formed. Then, transfer belt 91 is rotated(moved) in one direction by rotating at least one of the plurality ofthe tension rollers 92.

The suction chamber 93 is arranged on an inside of transfer belt 91, isa hollow box shape having an upper surface and four side surfaces cominginto contact with the upper surface, and a bottom surface (surfacefacing transfer belt 91 positioned below) thereof is opened. Inaddition, the suction chamber 93 includes a suction unit that generatesthe airflow (suction force) to an inside of the suction chamber 93.Then, an inner space of the suction chamber 93 is sucked by driving thesuction unit and air flows into the suction chamber 93 from the bottomsurface thereof. Thus, the airflow generates upward the suction chamber93, the web W is sucked from above the web W, and then it is possible tosuck the web W to transfer belt 91. Then, transfer belt 91 is moved(orbited) by rotating the tension rollers 92 and it is possible totransfer the web W to the pressurizing unit 110. In addition, a part ofthe suction chamber 93 overlap the mesh belt 73 and the suction chamber93 is arranged at a position on a downstream side on which the suctionchamber 93 does not overlap the suction device 75. Thus, the web W onthe mesh belt 73 is peeled from the mesh belt 73 at a position facingthe suction chamber 93 and can be sucked to transfer belt 91. Thetension rollers 92 rotate by moving transfer belt 91 at the same speedas that of the mesh belt 73. If there is a difference between the speedsof the mesh belt 73 and transfer belt 91, it is possible to prevent theweb W from cutting or buckling by being stretched by causing the meshbelt 73 and transfer belt 91 to be the same speed.

The pressurizing unit 110 is arranged on the downstream side of theintermediate transferring unit 90 in the transfer direction of the webW. The pressurizing unit 110 is configured of a pair of pressurizingrollers 111 and 1112, and presses the transferred web W. For example,the web W is pressed by the pressurizing unit 110 such that a thicknessof the web W becomes approximately ⅕ to 1/30 of a thickness of the web Wformed by the deposition unit 70. Thus, it is possible to improvestrength of the web W.

A heating and pressurizing unit 120 is arranged on the downstream sideof the pressurizing unit 110 in the transfer direction of the web W. Theheating and pressurizing unit 120 heats and presses the web W as thedeposited material that is deposited by the deposition unit 70. Theheating and pressurizing unit 120 binds the fibers contained in the webW via binding resin. The heating and pressurizing unit 120 of theembodiment is configured of a pair of heating rollers 121 and 122. Aheating member such as a heater is provided in a center portion of arotational shaft of each of the heating rollers 121 and 122. It ispossible to heat and press the transferred web W by allowing the web Wto pass through between the pair of the heating rollers 121 and 122.Then, the web W is heated and pressed by the pair of the pressurizingrollers 121 and 122 and then the fibers are easily entangled with meltedbinding resin, a distance between the fibers is shortened, and contactpoints between the fibers are increased.

A first cutting unit 130 a that cuts the web W in the transfer directionof the web W and a second cutting unit 130 b that cuts the web W in adirection intersecting the transfer direction of the web W are arrangedon the downstream side of the heating and pressurizing unit 120 as acutting unit 130 that cuts the web W. The first cutting unit 130 a is,for example, a slitter and cuts the web W according to a predeterminedcutting position in the transfer direction of the web W. The secondcutting unit 130 b is, for example, a rotary cutter and cuts thecontinuous web W in a sheet form according to a cutting position that isset to be a predetermined length. Thus, a sheet Pr (web W) of a desiredsize is formed. The cut sheet Pr is mounted on a stacker 160 and thelike. Moreover, the web W may be configured to be wound by a windingroller in the continuous shape. As described above, it is possible tomanufacture the sheet Pr in the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1.

Moreover, the sheet according to the above-described embodiment mainlyrefers to those in a sheet shape in which the material containing thefibers such as the waste paper and pure pulp is the raw material.However, the sheet is not limited to the sheet shape and may be a boardshape or a web shape (or a shape having unevenness). Furthermore, as theraw material, plant fibers such as cellulose, chemical fibers such aspolyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyester, and animal fibers suchas wool and silk may be included. In the present specification, thesheet is divided into paper and non-woven fabric. Paper includes aspectsformed in a thin sheet shape and includes recording paper for writing orprinting, wallpaper, wrapping paper, colored paper, Kent paper, and thelike. Since non-woven fabric has a thickness thicker than that of paperor has strength lower than that of paper, the non-woven fabric, fiberboard, tissue paper, kitchen paper, cleaner, filter, liquid absorptionmaterial, sound-absorbing material, cushioning material, mat, and thelike are included.

The waste paper in the above-described embodiment indicates mainlyprinted paper and it is regarded as the waste paper if the raw materialis formed as paper regardless whether or not paper is used.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible toobtain the following effects.

The plurality of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) including theprotrusions 301 are provided in the feeding unit 10 and the removingunits 300 (300 a to 300 h) are arranged so as to overlap in the firstand second transfer directions W1 and W2 of the waste paper Pu. Thus,the opportunity to remove the binder attached to the waste paper Pu isincreased. Thus, it is possible to improve the binder removal rate fromthe waste paper Pu. Then, it is possible to reduce damage of thecrushing blades 21 of the crushing unit 20 and the like by the binder.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a configuration of the paper supplying device will be described.The paper supplying device includes a stacking unit that stacks paper, atransferring unit that transfers paper stacked in the stacking unit fromthe lowermost paper, and removing units that remove a binder bundlingpaper. A plurality of the removing units are provided so as to overlapin a transfer direction of paper along a transfer path of paper by thetransferring unit.

FIG. 7 is a schematic view (side sectional view) illustrating theconfiguration of the paper supplying device. As illustrated in FIG. 7, apaper supplying device 500 includes a stacking unit 11, a pair ofrollers 18 as a transferring unit, a removing unit 300, and the like.Moreover, the paper supplying device 500 of the embodiment is configuredto omit the cutting unit 20 (and the receiving unit 201 a, and the pipe201) from the paper shredding device 10 according to the firstembodiment. Thus, since configurations of the stacking unit 11, the pairof rollers 18, the removing unit 300, and the like are the same thoseconfigurations according to the paper shredding device 10, descriptionwill be omitted.

In the paper supplying device 500, paper (waste paper) Pu stacked in thestacking unit 11 is transferred (supplied) from an opening port 19 a viathe removing unit 300 through the pair of rollers 18.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible toobtain the following effects.

The plurality of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) including theprotrusions 301 are provided and the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h)are arranged so as to overlap in the first and second transferdirections W1 and W2 of the waste paper Pu. Thus, the opportunity toremove the binder attached to the waste paper Pu is increased. Thus, thebinder removal rate from the waste paper Pu is improved and it ispossible to supply (transfer) the waste paper Pu in which the binder isremoved to another unit or device.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and itis possible to add various modifications and improvements to theembodiments described above. The modification examples are as fellows.The modification examples may be combined.

Modification Example 1

In the above-described embodiments, the removing units 300 (300 a to 300h) are arranged so as to incline in the first and second transferdirections W1 and W2, but the invention is not limited to theconfiguration. FIG. 8 is a schematic view illustrating a configurationof a paper shredding device (feeding unit) according to ModificationExample 1. As illustrated in FIG. 8, a plurality of removing units 300(300 i to 300 l) are arranged in a paper shredding device 10 b. Theremoving units 300 (300 i to 300 l) are arranged so as to substantiallyorthogonal to the first and second transfer directions W1 and W2.Specifically, the removing unit 300 i and the removing unit 300 j arearranged so as to substantially orthogonal to the first transferdirection W1. Moreover, the removing unit 300 i and the removing unit300 j are arranged so as to overlap in the first transfer direction W1.In addition, the removing unit 300 k and the removing unit 300 l arearranged so as to substantially orthogonal to the second transferdirection W2. Moreover, the removing unit 300 k and the removing unit300 l are arranged so as to overlap in the second transfer direction W2.Even in this case, the opportunity to remove the binder attached to thewaste paper Pu is increased, and it is possible to improve the binderremoval rate from the waste paper Pu.

Modification Example 2

In the paper shredding devices (feeding unit) 10 and 10 a of theabove-described embodiments, the stacking unit 11, the supplying unit12, the cutting unit (crushing unit) 20, and the like are configured asone unit, but the invention is not limited to the configuration. FIG. 9is a schematic view illustrating a configuration of a paper shreddingdevice (feeding unit) according to Modification Example 2. Asillustrated in FIG. 9, in a paper shredding device (feeding unit) 10 c,a stacking unit 11, a supplying unit 12, a cutting unit (crushing unit)20, and the like are individually arranged. Specifically, a tray unit 11as the stacking unit 11, which is able to stack a plurality of wastepaper Pu is provided. Then, the tray unit 11 stacks the waste paper Puand includes a moving unit 11 a that is able to be lifted and lowered.In addition, a plurality of removing units 300 (in the modificationexample, two removing units 300 m and 300 n) are arranged in an upperend portion of the waste paper Pu stacked in the tray unit 11. Inaddition, the removing units 300 m and 300 n are arranged so as tooverlap in a transfer direction W3 of the waste paper Pu. In addition, apickup roller 18 c configuring a transferring unit is arranged above thetray unit 11. The waste paper Pu is transferred in the transferdirection W3 by rotation of the pickup roller 18 c. In this case, binderattached to the waste paper Pu is removed by the removing units 300 mand 300 n. Furthermore, a pair of rollers 18 are arranged on adownstream side of the pickup roller 18 c in the transfer direction W3.Then, the waste paper Pu is transferred to a cutting unit (crushingunit) 20 by the pair of the rollers 18 and is cut into pieces of paper.The cut crushed pieces are received by a receiving unit 201 a and issupplied to a defibrating unit 30 via a pipe 201, for example, in a caseof the sheet manufacturing apparatus 1. Even in this case, it ispossible to obtain the same effects as the above-described effects.

Modification Example 3

In the above-described embodiment, the removing units 300 (300 a to 300h) are arranged such that the end portions on the inside of each of theremoving units 300 (300 a to 300 h) is inclined more than the endportion on the outside thereof on the downstream side (so as to close tothe pair of the rollers 18) in the first and second transfer directionsW1 and W2, but the invention is not limited to the configuration. Here,the end portion on the inside of each of the removing units 300 (300 ato 300 h) is the end portion that is positioned in the center of thewaste paper Pu in the width direction (direction intersecting thetransfer direction) and the end portion on the outside is the endportion that is positioned in the side end portion of the waste paper Puin the width direction. FIG. 10 is a schematic view illustrating aconfiguration of a paper shredding device (feeding unit) according toModification Example 3. As illustrated in FIG. 10, removing units 300(300 a to 300 h) of a paper shredding device 10 d may be arranged suchthat an end portion on an inside of each of the removing units 300 (300a to 300 h) is inclined more than an end portion on an outside thereofon an upstream side (so as to separate away from a pair of rollers 18)in the first and second transfer directions W1 and W2. That is, the endportion may be inclined in a direction opposite to the incliningdirection of each of the removing units 300 (300 a to 300 h) of thepaper shredding device 10 of the first embodiment. Even in this case, itis possible to obtain the same effects as the above-described effects.

Modification Example 4

In the above-described embodiment, the removing units 300 (300 a to 300h) are arranged on the mounting surface 190 a and are arranged such thata top portion of the removing unit 300 (protrusion 301) is higher thanthe mounting surface 190 a on the upper side, but the invention is notlimited to the configuration. FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating apart of a configuration of a removing unit according to ModificationExample 4. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a removing unit 300 and a mountingsurface 190 a may be arranged so as to be one surface. In this case, forexample, a concave unit is formed in a part of a partition unit 190 andthe removing unit 300 may be arranged in the concave unit. Thus, since astep due to the removing unit 300 and the mounting surface 190 a is notpresent, it is possible to smoothly transfer the waste paper Pu.

Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 11, a magnet 302 may be arranged ona bottom portion of the concave unit of a storage unit 400. Thus, thebinder containing a magnetic body removed by the removing unit 300 canbe captured and it is possible to prevent scattering of the binder.

Modification Example 5

The removing unit 300 of the above-described embodiment is provided withthe protrusion 301 in all the removing units 300 a to 300 h, but theprotrusion 301 may be provided in only one of two removing units 300overlapping in the first and second transfer directions W1 and W2. Forexample, the protrusions 301 are provided in the removing units 300 a,300 c, 300 e, and 300 g that are positioned on the upstream side, andthe removing units 300 b, 300 d, 300 f, and 300 h that are positioned onthe downstream side may be edges without the protrusions 301.

Modification Example 6

The removing unit 300 of the above-described embodiment is integrallyformed with the partition unit 190, but the removing unit 300 may bedetachably (replaceably) mounted on the partition unit 190. For example,the removing unit 300 may be fixed to the partition unit 190 by afastener such as a screw or may be fixed to the partition unit 190 by asnap-fit structure. Thus, the partition unit 190 is easily manufactured.In addition, since the removing unit can be replaced, for example,maintenance such as replacement can be performed when the removing unitis damaged. Furthermore, removing units which are different in shapes,sizes, and the like are prepared and it is possible to appropriately usethe removing unit by being replaced.

What is claimed is:
 1. A paper supplying device comprising: a stackingunit configured to stack paper; a transferring unit configured totransfer paper stacked in the stacking unit from the lowermost paper;and removing units configured to remove a binder attached to paper,wherein the removing units are provided so as to overlap in a transferdirection of paper along a transfer path of paper by the transferringunit.
 2. The paper supplying device according to claim 1, wherein theremoving units are provided in a direction intersecting the transferdirection and are alternately arranged.
 3. The paper supplying deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein the at least one removing unit has aplurality of protrusions and at least one of the protrusions is formedto abut the binder.
 4. The paper supplying device according to claim 2,wherein the at least one removing unit has protrusions and theprotrusions are provided at a pitch of equal to or less than half aninner width of the binder.
 5. The paper supplying device according toclaim 2, wherein a first removing unit and a second removing unit, whichare arranged so as to overlap in the transfer direction, respectivelyhave protrusions, and wherein the protrusions of the first removing unitand the protrusions of the second removing unit are arranged so as to bealternately positioned.
 6. The paper supplying device according to claim2, wherein the removing units are provided to incline in the transferdirection.
 7. The paper supplying device according to claim 2, furthercomprising: a storage unit configured to store the binder removed by theremoving units.
 8. The paper supplying device according to claim 2,wherein the removing units are detachably fixed.